Co-flowering plant species commonly share flower visitors, and thus have the potential to influence each other's pollination. In this study we analysed 750 quantitative plant-pollinator networks from 28 studies representing diverse biomes worldwide. We show that the potential for one plant species to influence another indirectly via shared pollinators was greater for plants whose resources were more abundant (higher floral unit number and nectar sugar content) and more accessible. The potential indirect influence was also stronger between phylogenetically closer plant species and was independent of plant geographic origin (native vs. non-native). The positive effect of nectar sugar content and phylogenetic proximity was much more accentuated for bees than for other groups. Consequently, the impact of these factors depends on the pollination mode of plants, e.g. bee or fly pollinated. Our findings may help predict which plant species have the greatest importance in the functioning of plant-pollination networks.

The urgent need to better understand profound impacts of mycorrhizas on functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, along with recent debates on resolving plant mycorrhizal associations, indicate that there is a great need for a comprehensive data of plant mycorrhizal associations able to support testing of ecological, biogeographic and phylogenetic hypotheses.• Here present a database, FungalRoot, which summarizes publicly available data on plant mycorrhizal type and intensity of root colonization by mycorrhizal fungi, accompanied by rich meta-data. We collected and digitized data on plant mycorrhizal colonization intensity published until April 2019 in 9 globally most important languages. The data were assessed for quality and updated for plant taxonomy.• The FungalRoot database contains 36,303 species by site observations for 14,870 plant species, tripling the previously available amount in any compilation. The great majority of ectomycorrhizal and ericod mycorrhizal plants are trees and shrubs, 92% and 85% respectively. The majority of arbuscular mycorrhizal and of non-mycorrhizal plant species are herbaceous (50% and 70%).• Besides acting as a compilation of referenced observations, our publicly available database provides a recommendation list of plant mycorrhizal status for ecological and evolutionary analyses to promote research on the links between above-and belowground biodiversity and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.

SummaryThe urgent need to better understand profound impacts of mycorrhizas on functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, along with recent debates on resolving plant mycorrhizal associations, indicate that there is a great need for a comprehensive data of plant mycorrhizal associations able to support testing of ecological, biogeographic and phylogenetic hypotheses.Here present a database, FungalRoot, which summarizes publicly available data on plant mycorrhizal type and intensity of root colonization by mycorrhizal fungi, accompanied by rich meta-data. We collected and digitized data on plant mycorrhizal colonization intensity published until April 2019 in 9 globally most important languages. The data were assessed for quality and updated for plant taxonomy.The FungalRoot database contains 36,303 species by site observations for 14,870 plant species, tripling the previously available amount in any compilation. The great majority of ectomycorrhizal and ericod mycorrhizal plants are trees and shrubs, 92% and 85% respectively. The majority of arbuscular mycorrhizal and of non-mycorrhizal plant species are herbaceous (50% and 70%).Besides acting as a compilation of referenced observations, our publicly available database provides a recommendation list of plant mycorrhizal status for ecological and evolutionary analyses to promote research on the links between above- and belowground biodiversity and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.

Mycorrhizal fungi are central to the biology of land plants. However, to what extent mycorrhizal shiftsbroad evolutionary transitions in root-associated fungal symbiontsare related to changes in plant trophic modes remains poorly understood.We built a comprehensive DNA dataset of Orchidaceae fungal symbionts and a dated plant molecular phylogeny to test the hypothesis that shifts in orchid trophic modes follow a stepwise pattern, from autotrophy over partial mycoheterotrophy (mixotrophy) to full mycoheterotrophy, and that these shifts are accompanied by switches in fungal symbionts.We estimate that at least 17 independent shifts from autotrophy towards full mycoheterotrophy occurred in orchids, mostly through an intermediate state of partial mycoheterotrophy. A wide range of fungal partners was inferred to occur in the roots of the common ancestor of this family, including 'rhizoctonias', ectomycorrhizal, and wood-or litter-decaying saprotrophic fungi. Phylogenetic hypothesis tests further show that associations with ectomycorrhizal or saprotrophic fungi were most likely a prerequisite for evolutionary shifts towards full mycoheterotrophy.We show that shifts in trophic mode often coincided with switches in fungal symbionts, suggesting that the loss of photosynthesis selects for different fungal communities in orchids. We conclude that changes in symbiotic associations and ecophysiological traits are tightly correlated throughout the diversification of orchids.